Confession: there’s really nothing in our house that is bountiful enough to be considered a collection. Unless you count books or our mildly charming set of mismatched stemware, we’ve never been the kind of homeowner to fill our rooms with multiples of anything.
That’s not to say we don’t want to be that kind of person. We’re just not really sure where to start. How does one decide they will begin collecting only one type of something? For some folks, it seems to come so naturally. Local Austin businesswoman Jennifer Perkins comes to mind. Her home was filled to the brim with collections of every kind of item imaginable: broaches, vintage kid’s toys, scarves, records, bowling balls—the list literally could go on for miles. We even remember her saying once that if she happens to notice she’s purchased 3 items of the same thing, she realizes it’s the birth of a collection.
But how do you start a collection when you don’t have a starting point? Or the better question to ask is: what is the starting point—the inspiration—for a collection? What has been your inspiration for any collections you have in your home? What was the piece or pieces that made you think “I’d like to have more of these in my home.” Or, are you like us and still haven’t found the collection that fits your home or personality yet?
Photos: Adrienne Breaux for Jennifer's Cool and Kitschy Austin Home!
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I collect a lot of different things but it is never a conscious decision at first. I just find myself drawn to something and before I know a collection is born. I have an entire category about it on my blog, here is a link to one post:
http://www.piewacketblog.com/journal/2010/1/19/warmth.html
Oh my collections vary from antique ironstone, to mismatched silver to white platters and postcards of magical places....I was raised in a family of collectors so I really didn't have much of a choice. My grandpa is known in the south for his collection of license plates (all antique of course!)
www.southernbellesimple.com
I started a cookie fortune collection this year. There's an amazing Vietnamese restaurant around the corner from our home we visit almost weekly. In the past my fortunes would either get left behind along with the receipt or entertain me for a day & then get tossed. At some point somewhat unconsciously they started piling up on my desk. But recently I found a vintage tin can to drop them into in my home art studio. They’re so fun to revisit & can be really quirky. My last week's score: “someone will give you something”. Here’s an image from my studio: http://papercuthearts.wordpress.com/2010/09/21/my-new-space/ One day I'll find an interesting way to display them in frames.
my husband has a cow creamer collection. it all started from the movie, "She's having a baby" about 10 years ago. he gave one to his brother as a wedding present marking his new domesticated life.
we have about 75 now from all over the world. some are antiques and some are new. its been fun searching for them and looking at them in our kitchen.
our daughter who is now 2 1/2 calls them her cows. so hopefully she'll appreciate them as an adult so she can carry on his collection.
FYI... I have that same coconut purse that's in the pic. When I was little, my friend's grandmother bought us those purses from the Bahamas.
I think it's whom for me. It's between my great-aunt and my mother-in-law that got me into it.
I have a huge collection of vintage psychedelic coffee cups. I've been collecting them from thrift stores since I was in high school. I have them hanging from coffee cup hooks all over my kitchen ceiling. They totally inspire me in my art. http://tinyurl.com/36u7oqy
I'm with @Lisa above...psychologically speaking, it's possibly Not a healthy thing to "collect" stuff (though not necessarily the case with everything, don't flame me, collectors, I'm just saying what it is).
The pictures where I think "ooh that's neat" above, are where the 'collections' have been used as design elements of a room....as opposed to "let me show you my entire closet of doll heads."
This past weekend, my husband and I realized we had a collection of vintage radio cabinets.
We both have really loved the way they look--the different body styles and the different knob designs. And they're just so versatile! One's acting as a buffet, one's an end table, another is a tv credenza. But, this is also coming from a couple who has a relatively empty new house and radios go for cheap.
Well, I started with rocks and antique books, because I love to look at them. Also, in the case of the books, I enjoy reading them. In the case of rocks, I enjoy keeping them around to remind me of the variety in nature, and because the fossils give me a feeling of connection to the natural past (wow that sounded way more hippy dippy than I expected). I collect them partly because I enjoy the variety of these things. A river rock from a trip, a sparkly geode, and a 500 million year old squid fossil are all "rocks" but I just find endless novelty in the variety of them.
An Antique Shop owner gave me a tiny little frog yrs ago. It was my only one for yrs & yrs,but within the last 2 yrs, I've bought 2 more. I also like owls, I dearly miss a 24" high one that I gave to an ex boyfriend.I also have a bracelet that is a multicolored owl. As I go thru the posts, I see that lots of people like owls too. I think I just have a thing for big eyes!?? I can see myself collecting more just because I like them, put hopefully no more than one or two shelves.
I collect Little Prince Book and owl necklaces! http://thespottedfox.com/stuff-we-love/cool-collected/
A friend gave me an old fishing pole and that started it all. Now I have over 50! I'm not sure why I love them because I don't even like the idea of capturing fish. But I have spent a few hours on the lake casting a line with a cork at the end instead of a hook!
About a month after we met, my husband went on a trip to NYC (all the way from TX) to see Bauhaus - they'd just reunited and he'd had the trip planned long before we met.
I asked him to bring something special back for me...and did he ever. Upon his return, I was presented with a horrendously cheesy New Jersey snow globe that looked like it was made in 1972. But I know that it's the thought that counts and was thrilled he remembered to bring me back anything at all. So, despite its tackiness, I displayed it prominently in my apartment.
Flash forward several years (and many snow globes later)...my husband finally tells me that the snow globe was not only a gift, but also a test. He knew that if I displayed it - in all of its absurdity - that I really liked him.
12 years - and about 80 snow globes later - we, and our collection, are still going strong.